Wright, as in "Media Might!"

In his column today in the NY Times, Ben Shpigel discusses the power of the brand that is the Mets' own third baseman, David Wright (click the title of this post to link to the article.) MLB is getting in on the action, putting Wright's face on the cover of their latest video game as well as utilizing him in the commercial for this years' all-star game.

The Mets' have gone to great lengths to tag-team Wright's media exposure alongside other stars, a la Reyes. Regarding this issue, Dave Howard, the Mets' VP, had the following to say:

“One thing we have to be careful about is overexposing David, going to him too often,” said Dave Howard, the Mets’ executive vice president for business operations. “Not only is he attractive in the business community, but he hardly ever says no. We have to remind ourselves that we’re a team that has a number of attractive, very marketable, players.”

Unlike many of today's athletes, Wright still remembers what it was like to be a kid, idolizing players and waiting for their autographs before games. From Shpigel:

And they notice, too, how graciously he interacts with fans. Before a game in Lakeland, Fla., earlier in spring training, people standing by the visiting dugout besieged him with autograph requests, and he signed and posed for photographs until the crowd dissipated. The same scene transpired in every spring training ballpark.

Even his teammates appreciate Wright, as evidenced by this quote from closer Billy Wagner:

“David’s a kid that looks like he belongs in New York,” said Billy Wagner, another Mets veteran with a résumé longer than Wright’s. “He’s well mannered, he’s well liked, he’s well disciplined and he’s well rounded.”

Another great read - enjoy!